On The Court
by menolly-au
Summary: Wilson sees Foreman and Taub playing basketball and decides to join in. Set during the episode that introduced Masters. Written for Sick!Wilson fest on LJ but missed the deadline.


Wilson dribbled the ball, one eye on Foreman, the other on Taub. Both men were trying to stop him getting to the basket. He was exhausted, dripping with sweat and panting for breath, but it just what he needed today. It had been a rough day with several terminal patients and when he caught wind of the little contest between Foreman and Taub he'd invited himself. Now he was wondering why he hadn't done this years ago.

He used to play a lot of sports, but had gotten out of the habit when House had his infarction. He told himself it was because he just didn't have the time anymore, which was partly true, but he also felt guilty, still being able to run and move around without pain while House couldn't do either. Then his career had taken off and he'd never quite made the time for exercise again. Playing fussball with House in the oncology lounge didn't really count.

This was great, he was enjoying being on the court with two of House's team. It sometimes seemed that all the fellows saw him as was House's long suffering friend. Someone to go to whenever House needed winding in, or explaining, or distracting. Now maybe they would see him as Wilson, a guy who could be fun to hang around with. And he was seeing them as something other than Boring and Even More Boring - as House had dubbed them in one late night drinking session.

He feinted to go around Foreman, Foreman was quick and strong, but predictable and Wilson caught him out, left him wrong footed. He turned his back on Taub and held him out with his body. Quickly he pivoted, faced the basket and launched the ball into the air.

All three men watched as it sailed through the air, to come swishing down through the basket.

"Score!" Wilson yelled happily, pumping the air with his fist. Yeah, this was great!

Foreman scowled and picked up the ball, throwing it to him with what Wilson thought was unnecessary force.

"Let's see you try that again!"

Wilson caught the ball, then bent over and took a couple of deep breaths. He should really call for a time out but he was on a roll, and he didn't want these guys to think he was weak. He started down the court towards the two, and then Foreman was there in his face, and Taub was on the other side and he was holding the ball away from them and...

Crunch! A sudden sharp pain in his face, and then something wet running down his chin. His eyes watered and he looked up to see both men staring at him, eyes wide open, twin expressions of horror on their usually stoic faces.

"What did you do to him?" Taub asked, backing away.

Foreman grabbed the smaller man, stopping him from escaping.

"I didn't do anything to him, that was your elbow in his face."

"No way, you're not blaming this on me, you pushed me into him!"

Wilson couldn't believe they were standing there arguing about who was to blame while he was bleeding and in agony. He couldn't talk for fear of blood getting in his mouth so he waved his arms around and glared in their direction.

"You'd better see to that, before you-know-who finds out."

"He's going to kill us."

"No, he'll think it's funny, he'll mock Wilson for being so stupid as to get his nose in the way of your elbow, then he'll kill us."

"And I'll be hearing nose jokes for the next month." Taub said glumly.

"Guys..." Wilson managed to get out, though it came out all muffled and nasally. "Can you do somedin aboud dis?" He pointed to his still bleeding nose.

Taub looked at Foreman, who looked back at Taub.

Foreman sighed.

"Okay, come on, we'll get you to a clinic room, see what the damage is." He grabbed Taub's discarded work shirt. "Here, hold this over your nose so you're not bleeding all over the floor."

Wilson pressed the shirt against his nose, ignoring Taub's yelp of protest.

"Well, at least you can take a photo of him, and then you can tell Rachel that you beat up House's best friend as well, should get you some sex for another few weeks at least."

Taub replied with a distinctly ungentlemanly gesture and the three made their way off the basketball court. Wilson looked back at the empty court and sighed, so much for having fun.

* * *

><p>They went to the clinic, sneaking quietly through the foyer, as much as three guys in sweaty sports clothes, one of them bleeding copiously, could sneak. Taub waved off the offer of help from the nurses and pulled Wilson into the nearest exam room.<p>

Foreman examined Wilson's nose and pronounced it to be a simple break, some packing was inserted to stop the bleeding and Taub gave him an ice pack to hold on it to reduce the swelling.

Both fellows had been looking nervously at the door throughout the simple first aid, as if they expected House to find out what had happened by some magic means they couldn't fathom, and come bursting through the door.

"Er...it's probably not necessary to tell House what happened is it Doctor Wilson?" Taub asked, with with Wilson guessed was supposed to be a casual air.

"You don't think he'll notice that I've got two black eyes and a broken nose?"

"Well, he might notice, but you don't have to tell him how you got them? Do you?"

"No, I'll just tell him I got beat up when I was walking home. That won't arouse his suspicions at all."

"You could tell him you walked into a door." Foreman added helpfully.

"And have him stalking Sam for the next six months? No, thanks."

The two fellows looked at him glumly and he took pity on them.

"I'll just tell him I was playing basketball at the gym with strangers, no need to mention names."

The fellows smiled and looked relieved, Foreman handed him a sample packet of painkillers which he tucked into his pocket.

Wilson opened the door to the exam room and they started to leave only to stop dead when they saw House leaning up against the reception desk, staring straight at them.

"Decided to join the big-nosed brigade, Wilson? Taub being doing a little nip and tuck for you?"

"Yeah, broken nose and two black eyes are the new look for Summer. Didn't you know?" Wilson attempted to keep walking but found House's cane in the way.

"Not so fast Shaq - back in there, let a real doctor have a look at you."

House turned on his fellows who were edging away, trying to escape out the clinic doors.

"Patient needs an enema, then a colonoscopy, and according to hospital protocol we need to monitor him during the night. Looking for volunteers."

Taub and Foreman looked at each other and then shrugged in resignation.

"Guess we volunteer." Foreman said.

"Guess so."

As they walked off House yelled after them, "oh, he's just started projectile vomiting, have fun!"

There was a brief pause in their steps but then they trudged onwards, heads down and feet dragging.

* * *

><p>"Ouch!" Wilson squirmed away from House's probing touch. "It's just a simple break, doesn't need the Great Doctor House to diagnose. Get away from it before you make it worse. Anyway, Taub fixed it."<p>

"Great, then I won't have to set Doogie Howser loose on you." House stood back. "You'll live. Don't know what Sam's going to say when she sees you though."

Wilson shrugged. "I'll just tell her that it was your fault, she'll believe that."

House looked at him with a 'there is a puzzle in front of me' expression.

"So why were you playing basketball with tweedle dee and tweedle dum? I mean Masters is young, intelligent, keen, everything those two aren't - but why has she got up your nose?" He stared at Wilson's now swollen nose and one corner of his mouth quirked in a smile.

Wilson couldn't help smiling back.

"I just thought it would be fun."

"Monster trucks are fun, watching Wildest Women in New Jersey is fun, pretending to have forgotten about the meeting with the lawyers that are suing the hospital for fifty million dollars is fun. Playing basketball with my fellows, you must be desperate."

Wilson shrugged and got down from the exam table, again. He felt his nose gingerly, yep, Sam was not going to be pleased about this.

"It was just a basketball game House, no deeper meaning for you to find. Sometimes a ball is just a ball."

House smirked at that and went to open the door.

"Pizza and porn tonight?" he asked as they made their way out of the hospital.

"Sure. But you're paying," Wilson said, knowing it was futile.

"Of course." House agreed, "using your card."

As they went to their cars House paused.

"At least tell me you beat the pants off them."

Wilson remembered the ball coming down, cleanly through the basket and the look on Foreman's face and smiled.

"Oh yeah. Nothing but net."


End file.
